Native to South America throughout Brazil and western South America (Bolivia and Peru).

Physical Description

Angelís trumpet is a tropical shrub that typically matures to 5-10í tall and features huge, nodding, trumpet-shaped, white flowers (to 12Ē long) from mid-summer to fall. Flowers emit a strong fragrance in evenings. Ovate to oblong leaves (to 8Ē long). In the first year, plants will typically grow to 3í tall with minimal flowering. In the second year, plants will grow taller with more profuse flowering.

It has been used as an admixture plant in ayahuasca brews as well as in poisons and medicines in S. America

Brugmansia suaveolens is widely used amongst the Ingano and Siona Indians of the warmer Amazon lowlands. It is used as a medicine and a narcotic. Plants containing atropine and scopolamine have also been used for centuries in other parts of the world and the alkaloids themselves have been used in modern western medicines for over one hundred years.

Medicinal Uses: This plant has been used for centuries by people as an antiasthmatic and antispasmodic medication as well as a hallucinogen. they are used in medicine to treat spasms, to sedate patients and for dilatation (mydriasis) of the pupil. Brugmansia has been mainly employed externally to treat rheumatic and arthritic pains, swelling, scalds, inflammations, skin rashes, haemorrhoids and wounds. Its extracts exhibit spasmolytic, antiasthmatic, anticholinergic, narcotic, and anaesthetic properties.

The leaves are smoked to relieve asthma. A steambath is prepared from the leaves for bad coughs and bronchitis. The juice is boiled and mixed with lard as an external application for burns, scalds, inflammations and hemorrhoids.

Poultices made of the leaves are applied to arthritic or rheumatic pains, swellings and badly healing wounds. It is used as an antispasmodic to control Parkinson's disease.

Magical, Spiritual, and Religious Uses: In the Amazon, Brugmansia is used in magical practices for visionary journeys, shape-shifting, divination, clairvoyance, love magic, aphrodisiac, amulets, and incense. Scopolamine is responsible for the visionary effects and is the alkaloid occurring in highest concentration. The use of Toé for magical purposes is the province of master curanderos (healers) and brujos (witches). Curanderos respect it as very powerful plant and use it cautiously and sparingly. On the other hand, Brujos, individuals engaged in the practice of black magic, may use Toé frequently with little discrimination or integrity in its applications.

Cultivation: Winter hardy to USDA Zones 8-10 where plants are typically grown as shrubs or small trees to 15í tall in organically rich, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun. Growing options include: (1) grow in large containers or tubs which must be over wintered indoors in bright, sunny locations or in greenhouses or (2) grow in the ground and lift plants in fall before first frost for over wintering in a cool, frost-free location (40 degrees F) with very minimal watering. During the growing season, plants are heavy feeders that need regular fertilization to stimulate new growth and flowers.

In the spring, wait until all chance of frost has passed before moving plants outdoors. It is preferred to first move them out to a protected area, gradually increasing their exposure to sun and wind over a few days. They grow well in full sun or partial shade and well-drained soil. In full sun and on hot days, they may need to be watered daily. They're generally pretty good at letting you know when they need water. Just watch for the droopting leaves...once watered they'll pick back up within a few hours.

Brugmansias may not flower the first year after planting. After that, blooms open in waves, followed by resting periods. Some people achieve only one wave (probably due to colder climate or shorter summer season) while others get more than one wave. The flowers are beautiful, come in a variety of colors, and smell amazing...especially at night.

Propagation: Brugmansia are wonderfully easy to take cuttings from. Snip an 8 inch piece off the end of a branch just above a node where a new leaf will sprout (the node remains on the mother-plant). Preferably the cutting should have more than a single leaf on the end of it...if you can find one where the cutting itself branches near the end, that's best. Remove any large leaves from the cutting, but leave a couple of small leaves on the very end. Stick the cutting in a tall glass of water so the bottom 6 inches of stem are submerged. That's about it.

Over the course of the next several weeks you should notice the cutting beginning to grow small white roots. The cutting can remain in the glass (keep refilling it so there's always about 6 inches of water in it) until the roots have grown several inches long and begin curling around in the glass. While the cutting is growing its roots, it can handle at least filtered sunlight (and maybe more).

=====================================================

Warning: This plant is hallucinogenic due to the Tropane alkaloids, Atropine, scopolamine, and hyoscyamine present in the Flowers, leaves, seeds. The symptoms of toxicity are Hallucinations, dry mouth, muscle weakness, increased blood pressure and pulse, fever, dilated pupils, paralysis.

It is no more poisonous than the tomato plant ! As with many poisonous plants, it can be called an hallucinogenic plant ... the problem is that there is a place at which the "hallucinogenic" becomes TOXIC. There is a lot of highly exaggerated negative information out there regarding the toxicity of the brugmansia.

All parts of the angel trumpet are poisonous to humans and are sometimes used as a hallucinogen with deadly effects.